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From the front and side aspects I think it's rather well proportioned for such a big vehicle.

Jonathan Gitlin

I don't know about you but I would pick one of these over an Escalade every day of the week. And that's without taking into account that the XT6 is roughly $20,000 cheaper.

Jonathan Gitlin

The cabin materials are mostly very good, although the leather-wrapped cubby just below the infotainment system does let the side down a bit.

Jonathan Gitlin

The XT6 comes on 20-inch wheels as standard, or 21 inches if you get the XT6 Sport.

Jonathan Gitlin

I think this big wheel trend is not going to change any time soon.

Jonathan Gitlin

The narrow LED headlights remind me of the Kia Soul or Jaguar XE (in a good way). The vertical LED daylight running lights are a Cadillac design signature.

Jonathan Gitlin

LED headlights are standard (shown). Outside of the US there is a clever adaptive LED headlight option that would require NHTSA approval before it could be used here.

Jonathan Gitlin

The second row—this XT6 has the optional captain's chairs. There's 39.1in./994mm of leg room.

Jonathan Gitlin

The rear row.

Jonathan Gitlin

Ergonomics from the driver's seat are not bad.

Jonathan Gitlin

XT6s get Bose audio systems.

Jonathan Gitlin

With the third row of seats in use, there's 12.6 cubic feet of cargo space.

Jonathan Gitlin

Fold everything flat and that goes up to 78.7 cubic feet.

Jonathan Gitlin

There's a handy little cubby underneath the rear cargo floor.

Jonathan Gitlin

The 3.6L engine sounds a little buzzy if you have to rev it out. I wish there was a hybrid option available.

Jonathan Gitlin

The 8-inch display in the instrument panel is crisp and clear.

Jonathan Gitlin

The XT6 also has a very good surround camera system available.

Jonathan Gitlin

The active rear view mirror is part of the enhanced visibility and technology package.

Jonathan Gitlin

The Cadillac Escalade has much to answer for. Would the luxury SUV have become quite such a thing absent that body-on-frame behemoth? Few vehicles have been such cash cows for their makers, either; consider how long ago the R&D for that platform must have been amortized.

But great name recognition and high profit margins will only get you so far. The market for luxury three-row SUVs is a hot one, and Cadillac wants more of it, with a plan to tempt people away from vehicles like the Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60. That plan is the XT6.

Further Reading

The XT6 was first seen at this year's Detroit auto show in January. I find it handsome; a well-proportioned two-box shape that looks current without being too imposing. That should probably be read as a compliment to the design team, for the XT6 is just over 16.5 feet (5050mm) long. (The vehicle's full dimensions are 77.3in./1964mm wide, 68.9in./1750mm tall, and a 112.7in./2863mm wheelbase.) The narrow LED headlights contribute to the effect, as do the 21-inch wheels worn by all the media test cars. I'm old enough to remember when 18-inch wheels were the preserve of race cars, considered too big for anything street legal; after talking with the designers, I'm not sure those days are ever coming back.

The XT6 uses the same C1XX platform as Buick's Enclave (and its smaller five-seat XT5 sibling), which means a monocoque (unibody) chassis and a transverse-mounted engine. In this case, that engine is a 310hp (231kW), 271lb-ft (367Nm) 3.6L naturally aspirated V6 coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission.

There are two flavors of XT6: the Premium Luxury version starts at $52,695 for front-wheel drive, and adding AWD is a $2,000 option. Or there's the Sport, which comes with AWD as standard, plus a stiffer steering rack, quicker steering ratio, and more aggressive suspension tuning. That one starts at $57,095. The suspension uses MacPherson struts at the front wheels and a five-link setup at the rear. Adaptive dampers are standard with the Sport trim and an option for the Premium Luxury cars.

The XT6 Sport gets a rather clever AWD system

The XT6 Sport's AWD is powered by its GKN's rather neat twin-clutch system, which is also found in cars like the Ford Focus RS and the Audi TT-RS. (This explains most of the extra cost of the Sport compared to an AWD Premium Luxury version.) It allows for active yaw control—GM's lawyers won't allow Cadillac to call it "torque vectoring" because technically the computer doesn't over-torque the outside rear wheel in a turn. But it can send all of the available torque to either axle. And at the rear it is possible to send 100% of that torque to just a single wheel, although I'm not entirely sure what you'd have to be doing to end up in a situation where that happens.

Not that this is really a car for hooning, given how big it is and the fact that it weighs 4,690lbs (2,127kg) even in Sport trim. But it drives well for a three-row SUV, and the adaptive dampers filter out road imperfections. It doesn't roll very much when cornering. And thanks to acoustic glass in the windshield and front windows, and a possibly obsessive focus on NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) detail work, it's a quiet place in which to cruise along.

Switching the XT6 from Tour to Sport mode causes the transmission to hold each gear for longer, the stability and traction control intervention thresholds relax, the dampers work harder to control body motion, and the steering provides better road feel. The drivetrain also becomes more rear-biased in the case of AWD Premium Luxury versions; in Sport mode the XT6 Sport turns on that active yaw control function.

Enlarge/ Cadillac chose Washington, DC, as the location for the XT6 first drive, which meant I got to try it on roads I know. It also meant I got to sleep in my own bed for once, which was a wonderful change from the norm.

Jonathan Gitlin

Speaking of cruising, Cadillac's excellent hands-free Super Cruise system will be available on the XT6, although not for model year 2020. I can't say I've ever had a satisfactory answer from GM as to why it's dragging its feet rolling the system out across its entire portfolio—if I do, I'll report back. Cadillac has given the XT6 a good complement of advanced driver assistance systems as standard, though, including forward collision warning, low-speed automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, parking assists, blind spot monitors with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and lane keeping. There's also a haptic feedback driver's seat and the Teen Driver feature that Eric tested a while back.

Further Reading

For $2,350 you can add the Enhanced Visibility and Technology Package, which includes a heads-up display, an 8-inch multifunction display on the main instrument panel, 360˚ parking cameras, and rear pedestrian detection. Adaptive cruise control is available with the $1,300 Driver Assist package, which also comes with a better automatic emergency braking system (no doubt enabled by the cruise control radar). Night vision is also an option. This is also like the system I tested previously in the CT6 sedan.

Further Reading

The XT6 is the first Cadillac fitted with a rotary jog wheel to control the infotainment system. [Several readers have written to me to tell me that the XT4 was actually the first to get the jog wheel Cue system.] It's becoming increasingly clear that taking your eyes off the road to use a touchscreen is a really bad idea while driving, and Cadillac should be applauded here. The jog wheel lets you easily control the Cue infotainment UI in an intuitive fashion, although if you really want to you can still use the 8-inch infotainment screen as a touchscreen. It's a newer version of Cue than the one I've experienced in the CT6, with a very clear screen and a more elegant UI than I was expecting. However, I did notice some input lag. Android Auto (and NFC Android device pairing) and CarPlay are standard, as are all of GM's connected car features.

The XT6 takes good care of its passengers. As standard you get a three-person bench seat for the middle row, although $800 swaps that for a pair of captain's chairs. The third row is for two, and it's actually really quite spacious. I'm 5-foot 7-inches (1.7m) and was able to sit in the back with another passenger without rubbing shoulders with them or my knees on the seat back in front of me. Cadillac has been pretty generous with USB ports around the vehicle, too—both types -A and -C are available. With both rows of seats in use, there's 12.6 cubic feet (356L) of cargo space. Drop the third row with the push of a button, and that becomes 43.1 cubic feet/1,220L. Push another pair of buttons to lower the second row and that swells to 78.7 cubic feet (2,228L).

The XT6 is rated at 20mpg overall by the EPA, although the FWD version gets 18mpg in the city and 25 highway, with the AWD scoring 1mpg lower on each of those test cycles. That's on par with the Lincoln Aviator, but it's not as good as the equivalent Acura or Infiniti three-row SUVs. And for all the noises that Cadillac makes about being the tip of GM's electrification spear, there is no hybrid version available.

That's a crying shame. GM has engineered a damn fine plug-in hybrid powertrain in the Chevrolet Volt, and a great battery electric one in the Bolt EV. Electrifying the XT6 wouldn't just do good things for reducing its carbon emissions—it would actually make it a better vehicle. Heavy autos like this benefit from the immediate torque of an electric motor, particularly in city driving. And the near-silence of electric propulsion is a perfect match for a luxury transport. A couple of years ago GM promised us a wave of new BEVs, so why couldn't the XT6 be one of them?

173 Reader Comments

I second the hearty cheer at actual tactile controls. Although all of my vehicular touchscreen interactions have been in rentals, every one has been somewhere between disconcerting and scary. Not just because I don't get a click-click feel from a physical button or knob, but because it's hard to know where in the touchscreen neighborhood your finger even is in relation to the screen when your hand is lightly bouncing at highway speeds.

Quote:

There are two flavors of XT6: the Premium Luxury version starts at $52,695 for front-wheel drive, and adding AWD is a $2,000 option.

The death of the roll-up window and the manual transmission is popularly ascribed at least in part to maximizing commonality in the parts bin and on the assembly line. Without getting into whether or not XT6 buyers actually need power to all four wheels, how many of them are going to cheap out on the $2000 option on a car that starts at over $50k? Combined with the relatively minor fuel economy hit (if you care about fuel economy, this ain't the car for you), I'm surprised 2WD is offered at all.

That's a bummer about no hybrid drive or ev forward drive on that. I went with a Bolt for a commuter in Jan 2018 and have been hoping when its lease is up in 2021 there would be something larger but just as efficient to replace it. So far, not seeing much options outside the Model Y and the Rivian, and those aren't inexpensive platforms.

is that gear shift lever common to other Cadillac or GM vehicles? I don't look at GMs much, but that shifter looks straight out of the Bolt EV, which surprised me for this luxury brand since I find it pretty cheap feeling.

Why do all these vehicles nowadays look identical? Same taillights, same grill shape, same body shape.

It is like it has devolved to consumers choosing between different margarine brands.

In large part, why would we expect vehicles designed to do the same thing to look substantially different? I'll give you lights and grill (although these have their own engineering considerations), but body shape is almost completely set by the need to stuff a large crumple zone in front of three rows of upright adults and package that all in the minimum possible envelope.

It's not as if you'll see a 6/7-passenger fastback any time soon, and the days of the forward-control VW bus are behind us.

Interior looks bland. Typical GM design. Take the Logo off the steering wheel and that could be a well equipped Chevy.

Quite surprising really. Look at the Buick Enclave and you see a remarkably well designed interior. This did catch me off guard.

Totally agreed. Enclave's interior may not be oh-my-god special but then neither is the car itself and the interior is actually very nice kind of "normal". I'm looking at that Caddy and it's just a complete meh.

is that gear shift lever common to other Cadillac or GM vehicles? I don't look at GMs much, but that shifter looks straight out of the Bolt EV, which surprised me for this luxury brand since I find it pretty cheap feeling.

is that gear shift lever common to other Cadillac or GM vehicles? I don't look at GMs much, but that shifter looks straight out of the Bolt EV, which surprised me for this luxury brand since I find it pretty cheap feeling.

I was just impressed it didn't have a column shifter. I know those clear up space between the front seats, and some of them, like in Mercedes and Tesla, don't take up much space, but the huge ones on trucks and SUVs with big motions never felt premium to me and would affect my purchasing a car.

I have to disagree. Or, agree that the XT6 is better in every objective way, but that the Escalade has something in spades which the XT6 does not, which is some swag, some attitude. As with so many GM vehicles these days, the XT6 looks like a paint-by-numbers application of a brand style guide to the blank canvas of a fullsize crossover platform. It looks and feels like the summation of a long series of safe, conservative, passionless decisions made by people with prestigious MBAs because it is; more particularly it looks and feels like Cadillac brand cues applied to a standard-issue GM platform and set of dimensions because it (more or less) is. It will sell reasonably well to Dallas realtors but it will not do anything to make Cadillac more relevant or interesting.

The Escalade is ridiculous, but there is something undeniably special about it, whether you love it or hate it. And at this point, given how fucking good a Kia Telluride or a Ford Explorer is, how loaded with excellent materials and features, a luxury vehicle needs to look, drive, and feel somewhat special. Because you can get a genuinely excellent 3-row fullsize SUV these days that looks fantastic, for about $40k, at a Kia dealer, with a 100k warranty. What makes this....whatever the fuck they call it, I've forgotten already...any better than a Kia Telluride with a few option packages? SuperCruise? Which I vaguely recall coming out a few years ago but have heard nothing about since because it debuted (checks notes) on one slow-selling and boring-looking sedan?

This vehicle should have been based on the CT6, with a RWD orientation and a long, low, badass, style-forward design, the new V8, and a PHEV model from start. Call it the Escalade Touring if you must, or Sport, or GT. But this vehicle needed to be more than a straighforward, conservative checking of required boxes.

is that gear shift lever common to other Cadillac or GM vehicles? I don't look at GMs much, but that shifter looks straight out of the Bolt EV, which surprised me for this luxury brand since I find it pretty cheap feeling.

Why do all these vehicles nowadays look identical? Same taillights, same grill shape, same body shape.

It is like it has devolved to consumers choosing between different margarine brands.

In large part, why would we expect vehicles designed to do the same thing to look substantially different? I'll give you lights and grill (although these have their own engineering considerations), but body shape is almost completely set by the need to stuff a large crumple zone in front of three rows of upright adults and package that all in the minimum possible envelope.

It's not as if you'll see a 6/7-passenger fastback any time soon, and the days of the forward-control VW bus are behind us.

To expand a little on taillights, regulations require they remain visible while the rear hatch is open, but at the same time, you want the rear opening to be as large as possible and fairly low. That's one of the reasons why so many designers are putting them in tall strips along the sides of the opening.

is that gear shift lever common to other Cadillac or GM vehicles? I don't look at GMs much, but that shifter looks straight out of the Bolt EV, which surprised me for this luxury brand since I find it pretty cheap feeling.

I was just impressed it didn't have a column shifter. I know those clear up space between the front seats, and some of them, like in Mercedes and Tesla, don't take up much space, but the huge ones on trucks and SUVs with big motions never felt premium to me and would affect my purchasing a car.

I have to disagree. Or, agree that the XT6 is better in every objective way, but that the Escalade has something in spades which the XT6 does not, which is

an actual name.

I mean, that'd fuckin' well help, right? Lincoln will sell you a Navigator, a Nautilus, a Corsair, a Continental. I named those off the top of my head and I know which is which, and I don't even give a shit about Lincolns particularly. Quick, what's Cadillac's biggest sedan?

20mpg, you've gotta be shitting me. They should get shamed for not having a hybrid drivetrain for these by now. I have a 13 year old minivan that while not even near as luxurious, gets the same mpg, and certainly has more interior space.

Why do all these vehicles nowadays look identical? Same taillights, same grill shape, same body shape.

It is like it has devolved to consumers choosing between different margarine brands.

In large part, why would we expect vehicles designed to do the same thing to look substantially different? I'll give you lights and grill (although these have their own engineering considerations), but body shape is almost completely set by the need to stuff a large crumple zone in front of three rows of upright adults and package that all in the minimum possible envelope.

It's not as if you'll see a 6/7-passenger fastback any time soon, and the days of the forward-control VW bus are behind us.

To expand a little on taillights, regulations require they remain visible while the rear hatch is open, but at the same time, you want the rear opening to be as large as possible and fairly low. That's one of the reasons why so many designers are putting them in tall strips along the sides of the opening.

or including a second set of lights in the bumper fascia (Lincoln MKC, Corsair, Audi Q5 and Q7.)

I have to disagree. Or, agree that the XT6 is better in every objective way, but that the Escalade has something in spades which the XT6 does not, which is

an actual name.

I mean, that'd fuckin' well help, right? Lincoln will sell you a Navigator, a Nautilus, a Corsair, a Continental. I named those off the top of my head and I know which is which, and I don't even give a shit about Lincolns particularly. Quick, what's Cadillac's biggest sedan?

Why do all these vehicles nowadays look identical? Same taillights, same grill shape, same body shape.

It is like it has devolved to consumers choosing between different margarine brands.

I remember back to the Ford Taurus. That was one of the first major autos that was aerodynamic, other than small sports cars. Not saying it was the first aerodynamic car, but the first one that so,e in the millions. Many other manufacturers copied that concept, and every since, cars have been designed that way.

The question is how many seriously differing designs for a given size can there be if everybody is aiming in the same direction with their design? Not many. So we get cars looking more alike. We see that with phones too. Try to make a phone with a screen that covers the entire front, and they’re all going to look pretty much the same.

I'm wondering what the towing capacity is. I couldn't see it in the article.

And I see this vehicle as a gussied up Acadia too. I'm not a big fan of a transverse mounted V6 in a largish SUV. It's done, originally, for the FWD versions and adapted to the AWD and never feels quite right to me. I'm wondering if it still has a little torque-steer as a result.

The XT6 is the first Cadillac fitted with a rotary jog wheel to control the infotainment system. It's becoming increasingly clear that taking your eyes off the road to use a touchscreen is a really bad idea while driving, and Cadillac should be applauded here.

Bullshit !!

This was noticeable the instant someone slapped a full-on touchscreen where the driver could access it and removed most any tactile controls. It was a bad idea from the beginning. People just didn't care until they started getting into more accidents or getting killed.

Why do all these vehicles nowadays look identical? Same taillights, same grill shape, same body shape.

It is like it has devolved to consumers choosing between different margarine brands.

I remember back to the Ford Taurus. That was one of the first major autos that was aerodynamic, other than small sports cars. Not saying it was the first aerodynamic car, but the first one that so,e in the millions.

yeah. the "aerobird" was first by a few years, but it never sold more than ~150k/year.

The third row is for two, and it's actually really quite spacious. I'm 5-foot 7-inches (1.7m) and was able to sit in the back with another passenger without rubbing shoulders with them or my knees on the seat back in front of me.

So you're 2 inches under the mean height for men in the US, and the 3rd row was "spacious".